It's A Fan Page!

Well, folks, the traffic is getting heavier. Even though there are only 2 blogger followers, there are more who follow by email (and even more of you sneaky readers who just come back on your own). So I have responded to the growing readership by developing a Facebook Fan Page. It is still being developed, mind you. That page will be updated with each new post, photo albums will be kept up to date, and random musing that The Mister and I have or stumble across will also be shared there.

Where is this page, you ask?

It is placed right beside the tab to get to Chris's Etsy shop (which should be receiving a few new items in the upcoming week - stay tuned!). But, here is a link for you! Just sign in to your Facebook account and like our page!

Remembering A Vacation

The last big vacation that The Mister and I went on together was our honeymoon. And you know that was a year ago by the fact that we just had our one year anniversary. And this year has been beautiful, and wonderful, and encouraging, but also challenging, and stressful. Chris was unemployed twice last year due to lay offs (wasn't the economy great?), I was in school full time, and it was nursing school at that so SUPER stressful and busy. I just graduated. Chris has been working at his newest job for 6 months now. We have moved. We dealt with the loss of Chris's best friend. It has been a crazy first year.

So, we are dreaming of a vacation. But,we can't plan one just yet because we lack the funds, and I am not sure what my work schedule looks like just yet so Chris doesn't know when to ask for time off.

We went to Pagosa Springs, Colorado on our honeymoon and stayed at a place where Chris's grandparents had a timeshare which they lovingly gave us to use as a wedding gift. It was a one bedroom condo right by a lake (we could see it from our windows). I'm thinking back on our honeymoon because I want to remember that feeling- being a newlywed, saying The Mister is my husband for the first time to strangers, planning a trip out of the state for a week. It was awesome. But I am also remembering a few mistakes we made. Here are the lessons we learned:

1. But plane tickets as early as possible. Seriously, even early in the day. We had a busy morning so we had planned to buy the tickets at night, right before we went to sleep. Then, the eastern coast switched over to the next day, so prices changed right when we were about to checkout... costing us another $300.
2. Get the weather update for where you are going. We did this, but only for the last few days. Try to track the weather for the last month so you can pack the right stuff. I am always the one with this issue, so we had to stop at a store and but me 2 more long sleeve t-shirts and tall socks. I love the cold/cool, but I am a bit of a wimp if I am under dressed in it.
3. Bring as many snacks as you can. We brought enough granola bars and whatnot for the plane ride, but it would have been nice to have some for the condo we were staying at, to keep in our rental car as we scaled the mountains and went on hikes.

We had fun. And are looking forward to our next vacation. Maybe a beach on one of the coasts??

Dreaming of a Sofa

Now that we have moved, our hopes and dreams for our rooms are coming together. We just want them to be all that they can be! I already showed you guys what we were thinking about for our patio, and there will be an update on that (most likely next week). But today, we shall discuss the living room.

We like for our rooms to look collected over time, and this HURTS because a lot of times that means time actually has to pass in order for us to get the look that we want. Discovering treasures, mixing patterns and textures, and not over drafting our bank account all cause us to have to slowly shape a room. But this can also be fun because we get to see it evolve. As we dream up our living room, we have realized it all will have to surround what couch we get. Oh, and in our house, we switch back and forth between calling it a sofa and calling it a couch. Anyone else do that? Is there a technical difference between a sofa and a couch?

Why do we believe the room will have to be designed around what couch we get? Well, I am so glad you asked. Below is the floor plan to our apartment, but flip it in your mind, because that is how ours is set up.

See our living room?? Our media center with the TV is on the angled wall. And take note of the kitchen island. This is one reason why our couch is important. Its size will determine just how much room we have for other furniture, and how big our rug should be. Ideally, we would love to have a 3 seater couch and 2 individual chairs. But that may be a bit crowded. We also want a couch that is good for cuddling, so the depth of the couch will determine how big of a coffee table we will get.

Here are a few rooms that serve as our inspirations -

Better Homes and Garden

I like the chaise at the end of the couch, the cloth, white couch that looks deep enough for cozy movie watching, as well as the 3 individual tables to serve as a coffee table. The round rug is also pretty awesome.

Houzz

I like how this one has the coffee table with 2 ottomans right against it. This keeps them semi out of the way but available for foot stools or seating. The couches look worn, but comfortable.

Houzz

This chesterfield sofa is beautiful. I also like the matching chairs in front of the window. The large rug helps anchor the room and brings together all of the colors.

Speaking of colors, we are staying closer to red, purple, and greenish-blues. We also are mixing in vintage, shabby chic accents, like my custom made book pillars (which I plan on showing you guys in a later post), and black frames with black an white photos.

The Mister and I love the look of Restoration Hardware (who doesn't?) and libraries, with a Columbus the Explorer twist. Sounds weird? Well, we got the Camden  Furniture Collection media console and book case at Target.



Media Console - see those sliding doors? The handles are brass. You can't really tell in this.

To pull in more of that explorer vibe, we like surveyor lamps. I found this one on Amazon.com.

Maps, too. We actually bought this guy and he is just waiting for us to pick the right couch so he gets put in the right frame.

So, you see... all of this seems a bit all over the place. The right sofa can anchor it all. Leather ones -



 

Leather Possibilities Sofa at JC Penney



Portfolio Rio Convert-A-Couch at Overstock.com



But I am not a huge fan of leather. I stick to it. And it has its leather smell. And if Lola scratches it, its done. Plus, they cost more. Chris is still pulling for leather, so I am still hoping he will change his mind.

At this point, I really love this one.

Martha Stewart Living Room Collection at Macy's in Saybridge

It looks soft, comfortable, and good for cuddling. The color will go with all of the things we will throw in the room, and the chesterfield design brings in the other elements we like, too.

So what say ye, my blog reading friends?